“Walk the walk” is the slogan of Civic Duty, a sneaker company with a socially responsible bent whose latest design has a New Orleans-based mission.

Civic Duty shoes to benefit Common Ground

Starting this year, Civic Duty plans to pick a nonprofit to be the annual beneficiary of sales of a specially designed shoe. The inaugural winner is Common Ground, the New Orleans recovery organization that organizes volunteers for a variety of community-based efforts.

The uppers of Civic Duty’s Keds-like sneakers are constructed out of Tyvek, a material that’ll be familiar to any local who had to gut and rebuild a house. Tyvek is the lightweight, durable water-resistant material used to seal buildings.

Common Ground will receive 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of the 2011 “Shoe For A Cause,” the design of which also might remind New Orleanians of a happier milestone in our city’s history. The $54 shoes are black and gold, with a subtle fleur-de-lis embossed just below the laces.